After All
by Emma the Lame
Summary: Sequel to At Long Last. Gondor promises new opportunity, but when secrets are whispered, lies told and beliefs shattered everything changes. Lies hurt, but sometimes the truth hurts more. AU. Slash.
1. Shade and Shadow

_Author's Note: Well here she is! The sequel to 'At Long Last,' you'll want to read that one first to understand most of this. _

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but a bunch of paperback books. JRR Tolkien and his estate own the characters. I'm only playing with them! I shall return them, eventually._

_Warnings: AU, non-graphic slash, non-graphic mentions to rape and elf-torture (mostly psychological). Squicked already? This probably isn't the story for you. Might want to head back._

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After All

Chapter One: Shade and Shadow 

The sun kissed droplets of stinging sweat onto Aragorn's brow. Neither Legolas nor Glorfindel seemed affected by this particular malady. Aragorn cursed them for it. He swiped at his forehead. "Certainly it should not be this hot out?" 

Glorfindel glanced at him, disinterested, from across the broad back of his horse, which was walking with the elf beside it. When the horses had started panting, it was decided that walking them would be for the best. Their pace was slow. He shook his head. "It is not that hot."

Aragorn rolled his eyes and looked at Legolas who strode easily beside him, horses flanked them. Legolas offered a sympathetic and slightly mischievous smile, his teeth showed.

"The moon will take away some of the heat," Legolas remarked noting the position of the sun, still high in the sky. It was near midday.

"That will not be for hours," Glorfindel said, an almost gleeful tone to his voice. Aragorn wiped more sweat from his brow before it could get into his eyes. 

Legolas smiled at Glorfindel from across Aragorn's horse. Glorfindel raised an eyebrow at him, a smile barely touching the corners of his lips. Aragorn scowled. 

"The horses are tired," Aragorn said after a few minutes of sweltering silence, he patted his own horse's neck, cool, thick beads of sweat caught his palm. 

Glorfindel stifled a chuckle. "Did you have a suggestion, Aragorn?"

Aragorn cleared his throat and Legolas smiled. "Mayhap a rest in the shade?" Legolas offered, thinking of his own horse and Aragorn as well. Glorfindel almost looked disappointed.

"Aye, a rest would not hurt nor hinder us." 

Aragorn tried not to look relieved; he smiled at Legolas as the intrepid trio made their way into a clutch of shadows and dark shade. Keeping his dignity, Aragorn waited a few minutes before he sat down in the shadow-cooled grass and leaned contentedly against the bole of a tree.

"It is a good thing you care so for the horses," Glorfindel said softly, offering each of the horses a drink of water and nestling their ears. Aragorn sighed from beneath his tree and did not favor him with an answer.

Legolas smiled. "You two bicker like old women."

"How many old women do you know, Legolas?" Glorfindel asked good-naturedly, tossing Aragorn a small skin filled with water. He drank hungrily. "Save some," Glorfindel said after a moment. 

Legolas laughed. "Not many."

"Not many? Do you not mean 'not any?'"

"I mean what I say."

Glorfindel shot him an amused look and let the topic drop. "Do you think the horses have had enough rest, Aragorn?"

When no answer came, Glorfindel glanced at the trunk of the tree. Aragorn was fast asleep. 

Legolas smiled indulgently at the sight. He gave a conspiratorial glance to Glorfindel and stepped silently beside the Ranger and knelt. "Estel," he said into Aragorn's ear, then pinched his arm gently but with enough force to smart. 

Aragorn started awake. "I slept not," he said without preemptive. Glorfindel laughed. 

"Just resting your eyes, I am sure. Now, if you are satisfied that the horses have had enough rest?" Glorfindel said wryly. His eyes sparkled.

Aragorn stood up brushing himself off and muttering, Legolas and Glorfindel heard every word. They both smiled at him when finally he had stopped brushing and muttering. Glorfindel shook his head, gathered his horse and went on walking, trying to keep to the shade for the horses sake; and Aragorn's, though he'd never admit it to the Man.

Aragorn tried again to explain that he had not been 'sleeping,' but Legolas just smiled softly at him and said that it was only the heat that tired him. Legolas then followed Glorfindel's lead; Aragorn came at last, muttering to his horse about not having been asleep. The horse snorted and butted his arm. Elves and elven beasts, Aragorn thought with harrumph and a shake of his head.

None of them saw, nor expected, those that stalked them on the outside of the shadows. Poised to kill and take back what they believed rightfully theirs. After all, they'd caught him first.

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_Short! I know! Not too eventful either, but I guess this is more of a prologue than a chapter one, but more of a chapter than a prelude. That doesn't make sense does it? ;o) Ah, well, next chapter will be at least three times as long and will be out soon! Probably by Thursday (American), Friday (Aussie, Kiwi and other far away peoples)._


	2. Dirt

Chapter Two: Dirt

Night seemed to loom overhead before it finally settled upon the three companions. It didn't, however, bring much relief from the heat. Aragorn took to being silent, as talking made him much to hot. Glorfindel looked quite pleased with this event.

"This seems a good spot to make camp, if you are ready to stop that is, Aragorn?" Glorfindel said, stopping and turning twinkling eyes to Aragorn. The Ranger rolled his and dropped his pack easily to the ground.

"Nay, Lord Glorfindel. This shall be quite fine, I do not wish to overwork you."

Glorfindel laughed and took his own pack off the back of his horse. He stroked the soft mane gently and the horse wandered off to graze. Legolas smiled to himself as he relieved his own horse of its burden and settled his pack beside Aragorn's.

Aragorn stifled a yawn behind a dirty palm and volunteered to make supper, Glorfindel looked suspicious at this. "Nay, I shall make it," he said when Aragorn insisted. Aragorn shrugged; then smiled once Glorfindel had his back turned.

Legolas laughed and settled into the dirt and grass. Aragorn sat beside him and looked almost smug. That was until Glorfindel handed him a particularly small piece of _lembas_. "What is this?" he inquired as Glorfindel handed Legolas a bigger piece.

"Supper," Glorfindel answered not at all perturbed, as he distributed his own piece of bread.

"This is supper?"

"Unless you are planning on hunting something, yes."

Legolas turned his head softly and traded pieces of _lembas_ with Aragorn. "You're sure?"

The elf nodded and bit contentedly into his own piece of bread, Glorfindel pretended not to see. It ruined his good mood.

~*~*~

"They sleep," said the youngest left alive. There were only four left but they had multiple advantages on their side.  Wazurk was not at all agitated as he believed he might be.

"We will wait until we are certain," he said, surprising calm in his voice. The others had no room to argue. 

Minutes passed in silence except for deep breathing of the four. They were all who remained of their group. The rest had been buried in they same place where they had fallen so long ago.

"Now are we certain?"

Wazurk glanced to the youngest again and wished he had been one of those to die. "No. Shut up, _I_ will tell you when we are certain."

The young one sighed, Wazurk had the urge to break his jaw but resisted. They'd need the annoyance's help; like it or not.

A long while passed and finally Wazurk crept to his feet; assurance was in the very way that he moved. "Now I am certain. Come."

The rest scurried after him, just louder than shadows. 

~*~*~

Glorfindel was startled awake at a cracking twig. He sat straight up and glanced around: nothing. With a small sigh, he glanced at Legolas and Aragorn who seemed asleep though Legolas's breathing wasn't even. Aragorn mumbled something and rolled onto his stomach.

Glorfindel lay back down but sleep did not take him right away. He contemplated doing many things, but none seemed to need doing. Finally, after one last glance to the others and around their camp, Glorfindel let rest claim him.

That was when they struck. "Leave my elf to me!" 

Glorfindel was moving in an instant, scrambling for his sword, which he cursed for leaving so far away. The attacking Men did not, however, wait for Glorfindel to get it.

They grabbed at his arms and held a knife at his throat. Glorfindel finally yelped loudly and both Aragorn and Legolas woke at the same moment. Legolas was on his feet first. "Glorfindel!"

The two that held Glorfindel at bay were so startled by the sudden call, they turned toward the noise. It gave Glorfindel just enough time to kick out and get away from their knife. Aragorn had his sword drawn; he advanced quickly on the two while Glorfindel ran for his own weapon.

Legolas grasped at his bow and notched an arrow. He looked wildly for an accessible target. His heart hammered so loudly in his ears that he was not aware of the presence behind him. Something large and heavy clanked against this skull; he saw no more of the battle.

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Legolas came around confused and disoriented; his head spun and something heavy was on his stomach. He blinked his eyes until they cleared; once they had he rather wished that they had not.

An overwhelming nausea came at his stomach and he just barely resisted the vomit that burned at his throat. Wazurk lay beside him snoring loudly with his column sized arm pushing down on Legolas's aching stomach.

Panic clung to Legolas's mind and he found he could barely breath. No was his only thought until it turned into a mantra in his fuzzy brain to the tune of Wazurk's rumbling snores. No, no, no, no.

His clothes had been taken and a ridiculous cloth that didn't even reach mid-thigh was all that covered him. Humiliation, shame and an overwhelming sense of fear made him tremble. This time he couldn't bite back the vomit. No, he thought his eyes stinging and throat burning.

Wazurk rolled and his palm pressed hard into Legolas, the face of the Man squashed into his shoulder and Legolas could feel his hot breath. A dry heave caused Legolas to jerk suddenly, but there was nothing left to empty.

His movement caused Wazurk to move again, and for a moment Legolas was sure he was awake. He waited for the inevitable.

It never came. Nothing of Wazurk touched him but his foul smell and hot breath. Legolas sobbed for a long moment, he did his best to keep silent but he could not help the quaking of his shoulders. 

The only thing that stopped his sobs was the thought of Glorfindel and Aragorn. He let his mind wander to them, but found it only made him nauseous again as possibilities flew through his mind. If they had done the same to Glorfindel as they did to him, or killed Aragorn, or…or worse, it would be all his fault.

He rolled to his side and for the first time felt the mud he lay in. It was terribly cold against his burning skin, but he rolled in it so it would coat his exposed flesh. Reason started to come back to him as the mud cooled him.

Legolas glanced about, they near a lake and alone. None of Wazurk's others were near. Mud was all over, but Wazurk was lying on a small mat. It hadn't kept all the mud off him though, his hair was caked with it and there was blood all over his clothing.

He did not think of who that blood might belong to as he glanced around the rest of the lake. It was still; no animals dare disturb the water. The moon was low in the sky, but high enough still for dawn to considered far off. His clothes did not seem to be anywhere near.

Of course his knives had been taken, and his bow too was not here. Then he remembered. He glanced carefully at Wazurk who still snored, a light drizzle of drool trailing down his sculpted chin. Wazurk always carried a knife at his ankle.

Legolas pushed himself to his knees and sat for a long time just staring at Wazurk and waiting for him to wake. His breathing was shallow, his throat and eyes burned and the mud started to dry and make his skin feel tight and dry. The moon had changed position. When Wazurk did not wake, Legolas went noiselessly to the Man's side on his hands and knees. New mud layered over the dried. 

With nimble but trembling mud covered fingers, Legolas lifted Wazurk's trouser leg. The cloth was stiff with dirt and soft with too much wear. Legolas stopped when he had the knife exposed, he sat back barely breathing. Finally he reached for the knife and knew that Wazurk would be awake the second he grabbed it.

The blade shone brightly in the moonlight and reflected the lake. It was the only thing that Wazurk owned that shined. Legolas looked at the knife in his muddy hands for a long while.

Then gently, almost intimately, he leaned over Wazurk so one palm rested on the far side of the Man on the dry mat. With his other hand he held the knife against Wazurk's thick throat. The Man's eyes flew open. Legolas stayed riveted for a moment, his eyes locked with Wazurk's. 

For a second, Legolas was certain he wouldn't be able to kill him. Then the thought of Glorfindel enslaved and Aragorn dead danced before his eyes. With one swift, clumsy, stroke he slit Wazurk's throat.

The Man gurgled, his eyes bulging as warm red blood trickled into the mud and his hair. He grabbed at Legolas's wrist. Legolas stood and flung his arms away from Wazurk's flailing hand, his eyes all the while locked with Wazurk's who was gasping, fingers from his other hand reaching for his throat and becoming red in the process.

Legolas turned with trembling fingers he dropped the knife, which had smooth blood all over its handle and blade, it would never shine again. It seemed to fall with a booming thud. Then he ran toward the surrounding trees, leaving Wazurk behind him: gurgling and dying.

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_I'm so sorry that took so long! Somehow, my entire outline was deleted. All that work lost! I'm working on rebuilding it. The next chapter should be out much sooner then this one was. Maybe by Saturday (American), Sunday (Aussie, Kiwi and others who are in different time zones). Thanks so much for the great reviews!_

**_Personal Thanks_**_:_

_Ron: lol, I know. I'm sorry it wasn't out by Thursday; I had intended it to be! lol, at least you're somewhat patient! Thank you!_

_YuZira: I think this one is longer, not by much but at least by a few hundred words. lol. Thank you so much!_

_GoldenRose: Oh, we'll see ;). Nothing's certain now that my outline is gone! lol. Thanks a lot!_

_Conn JS: So glad you're still reading! Hee, I'm also glad you liked the hint. Thanks so very much for reviewing!_

_Luthien Tinuviel: Glad to have your review! I appreciate it very much and I'm glad you decided to read the sequel. Thanks so much!_

_Natalie: Oh, I'm glad you're hooked! At least for the time being, anyway. lol. Thanks a million!_

_LittleSpacedemon: Hee! Lol. I'm also very sure Aragorn wasn't sleeping; he's too manly, you see. Thanks a lot!_

_evil spapple pie: Well I had intended last Friday but it ended up coming a week late (almost anyway). Hey, I'll kiss Aragorn (Legolas and Glorfindel too for that matter) no matter how hot and sweaty! Now this time let's make **me** the monkey and they can all kiss me! lol. Thank you ever so much!_

_Goddess of Death: Thank you! lol, sorry it came nearly a week late! I'm a bad wittle girl. ;o) Thanks again!_

_Mawgy: How 'bout we're far from each other? Anywho, Wazurk (evil leader dude) lived and went to see if any of the others had too. Three did. Lol. I hate that chapter in the At Long Last and need to rewrite it. I can barely understand what's going on it and I wrote it. lol. Is there really a place in Gondor called 'Lamedom'? That's so neat! I had no idea; I stole it from a Haldir quote. He says, "Here lies the Heart of Elvendom on earth." I replaced "Elven" with "Lame" and thus we have my title! Lol. Thanks so much!_

_SD: Hee! I'm so glad you think so! Thanks a bunch!_

_Forest Elfin: *grin* So glad you liked it! That's one of the few light chapters. The next several are going to be pretty dark, but it'll get light near the end. Lol. Thanks so very much!_

_Lomelinde: lol! Sorry for the lateness! As for Glorfindel, I have definite plans for him. He is a sweetie isn't he? Lol. He shall not be neglected, worry not! Hmm, everyone does like to hurt Legolas. I can't help it! I get these plot bunnies and well, this is what happens! Thanks a lot!_

_Lady of Legolas: LOL! Lots of people want a threesome. Or for Legolas to go with Glorfindel. Perhaps all this input will influence something. ;o) But don't worry too much for Glorfindel, he'll get him some lovin! Lol. Thanks so much!_

_Ciria: Oh very good of you! I don't want to say too much, and ruin the plot twists but keep thinking along those lines and you might get where I'm headed. Sorry for my tardiness! Thanks a lot!_

_Insane Pineapple from Naboo: I'm glad that you're still here! Lol! That is an excellent theory on why Aragorn is so often paired with Legolas! I rather like it myself. Girl falls into Middle-earth are just about the most annoying thing ever. There are so many of them for one thing. LOL! I write Attack of Mary Sue only to amuse myself, it's not supposed to be good by any means, I'm surprised it got any reviews at all! Glad you thought it okay though! Oo! Sounds difficult, angelfire no good huh? I'll keep that in mind. I will also have to go check out your page later! LOL! I know what you mean. Especially with Harry Potter I'll need to go and reread the books. Sometimes I think, who wrote that JK or was it fanfiction? That's another thing, how _is_ HP conflicting with Christian beliefs? I never got that. People get so fanatical about some things, it's crazy! I can't understand it! Thanks ever so much for the great review! Sorry my reply was so short! The next one will be longer, I promise._

_Cheysuli: LOL! Sorry for the delay. We'll see about Glorfindel. He has some good things coming to him! Thanks so very much! _


	3. Last Words

_Author's Note: *Peaks out around door* Uhm, hullo! I'm still kicking if any cares to know? *Crickets*  It is entirely Faramir's fault that this chapter took so long. *Nods* Yes, go stone him to death or something. I kept channeling movie!Faramir (who was a giant prat) and I wanted book!Faramir but he was being stubborn and would not work with me. So I'm afraid we have some weird hybrid of the two, I shall call him boovie!Faramir! *Cough* _

_Anyway, you can thank (blame?) Mawgy *huggles* for this chapter finally being finished. She politely inquired about it twice, though I think she may have been threatening to run me over with a stolen double-decker bus. I am not sure, but just in case it was indeed the latter I am presenting you all with this (not so) long awaited chapter. Do enjoy! Feel free to whack me if you wish for making you wait. Yes, yes, I'm shutting up. Oh and thank you for all the encouragement! I'm afraid there are no personal thanks this time, but they shall return next chapter. Honest! I wuv you all! ^_^ I cannot thank you enough for your encouragement and kind words, your suggestions and your good points. So THANK YOU!! Kisses and chocolate hobbits for everyone! *Chews on Pippin*_

_Dedicated to Sly-chan, because she is just really cool deserves lots of recognition. *Glomp*_

Chapter Three: Last Words

Faramir of Gondor was worried. Very worried, if truth were to be told. "Boromir, this is not going as I should like it."

Boromir, slightly older and therefore incredibly more important in the whole scheme of things, looked over his shoulder a grim look on his features. "And what ever does, brother?"

He shrugged. "Still, I like it not at all. Aragorn should have returned by now, or at least sent word."

It was Boromir's turn to shrug. He pushed his heels into his horse's sides slightly and the beast moved faster. Faramir followed suit. "Aragorn is a man of his own reckoning. It wouldn't surprise me if it had slipped his mind entirely. Besides, Faramir, we look for him now, you need not worry."

Faramir sighed silently and pushed his mare in front of Boromir's. It seemed as though they had been searching for nothing for quite a long time. His head ached dully. The woods seemed impossibly dark. "Boromir…" he began intending to ask if they should stop for the night, in case they missed something, but his brother held up a shushing hand. "What is it?"

Boromir lowered his hand, his head cocked to the left. "Something is near, do you hear it?"

The younger brother listened closely, at first nothing could be heard but the noise of the night, then what his brother spoke of became unmistakable. A deep, harsh breathing of someone or something that was obviously injured, hissing loudly now and then. 

"Come!" commanded Boromir as he turned his horse toward the noise. Faramir had no choice but to follow, despite his apprehensions. 

~*~*~

Wazurk felt impossibly cold. The light breeze, that on any other night would have been considered welcome and cooling, was now bone chilling. His breath would not come to him.

There was a loud rustle somewhere; it seemed to come from every direction. He tried to speak, no words would leave his parched mouth; his tongue felt like sand between his teeth. "Urhm."

"Brother! Look!"

Suddenly a face, covered in some emotion, was looming over. The mouth moved but Wazurk heard not a word. If perhaps he just closed his eyes for a moment…

A burning hand on his shoulder was enough to peel open his eyes. Another face, darker, older, was looking at him this time. It's lips moved as well.

"Elf," Wazurk said, with huge gasp. He closed his eyes and took one last shuddering breath—his last.

~*~*~

The brothers went quickly towards the source of the noise. Faramir was the first to find him. A man, overly large, with square shoulders and a weathered face lay in a deep scarlet pool. His throat slit, he lay gasping noisily. A tainted knife, which may have once been a fine weapon, rested a little way from him covered entirely in blood; the blood looked like sullied wine.

At first he could not move, but then years of lessons flew into his mind and he sprang into action. He had seen countless men die in combat or in a hunt turned bad, and of illness too, but it was still shocking to Faramir to see a man so obviously the victim of murder. "Brother! Look!" he called, successfully gaining Boromir's attention.

Faramir stooped over the man and looked closely at his wound. It was deep, too deep to do anything about but not nearly decapitation. All Faramir could offer was justice. "Who did this?" he asked, hoping the man would be able to answer. 

But the man did not. The man's eyes blinked sleepily shut, Faramir closed his own and said a small prayer. Something pushed him aside, he opened his eyes to see Boromir looming, one hand clutched around the man's shoulder, and asking the same question Faramir had asked moments ago.

"Elf," the man managed to gasp out as his eyes rolled up into his skull, the lids only partially shut. He made a horrible rasping noise, which Faramir was certain would never leave his memory. And the unknown victim drew no more breath.

Boromir stepped away, sighing. Faramir closed the man's eyelids entirely and said his prayer again.

"Elf?" Boromir remarked mostly to himself. Faramir looked away from the man, whose muddy red blood was starting to dry against death-pallid skin.

"Elves do not kill innocent Men," Faramir said in an almost whisper. Boromir said nothing in return. He stood tall and silent looking into the night.

"Boromir?" Faramir asked after a moment. He came to stand beside his brother; had it been late afternoon the dead man could have been their shadow. Boromir looked at Faramir sideways but still he said naught. 

"Perhaps he killed Aragorn as well," Boromir said at last, though Faramir barely heard the words.

"Whom?" Faramir said feeling a bit daft after he said it. Boromir did not answer, instead he walked forward into the soft darkness, the moonlight bathing him in silver. After a second glance to the slain man, Faramir followed unquestioningly. He would make sure they, he and his brother, would come back to give the man proper death rites. 

They had left their horses a little ways off, in case they proved hindrance. But Boromir did not head that direction; Faramir resisted the strong urge to ask where it was they were going. He was trying to come up with the best possible wording to the question when he realized Boromir had stopped. He barely avoided a collision and certain embarrassment.

"Do you hear that?" Boromir asked again. Faramir wondered why he was not hearing these things first, it was usually he, not Boromir, who did scouting and other such missions; he was usually quite apt at hearing small things. But not this night it seemed.

He listened for but a second and heard…sobbing? He looked to Boromir who nodded at Faramir then started forward.

Imagine the shock of finding a bloodstained Elf with nearly no injuries of his own. Faramir stood for a long moment gaping at the being, nearly nude and caked with mud and blood. He was almost unrecognizable as an Elf, but yet there was something so fey and beautiful about him even covered in a film of drying mud that he could be nothing else. His mind raced with thought for a moment of stories of Elves and their strange ways and odd customs and eccentricities and of Aragorn who had been brought up with the Elves and could never possibly be _killed_ by one, then he noticed Boromir had drawn his sword and was pointing it menacingly at the creature.

All Faramir did was stare, hands not even close to his blade or his bow. Boromir took a step forward and the Elf looked up. Impossibly silver eyes widened, they were bright and much too moist. It seemed as though the Elf would bolt. Farmair took a step forward, fingers reaching to grasp the unobtainable. 

Boromir took much more drastic steps. He let the point of his blade rest against the Elf's throat. "Where do you think you're going?" The Elf stopped moving, but looked around wildly, like a caged animal.

Faramir let his fingers drop back to his side. His jaw remained fallen in shock. _Elves do not murder Men. Do they?_ he thought, remembering different stories of Elves who kidnapped bad children and robbed Men who had strayed too far from the rode. 

But those stories were not true. Faramir's mind reeled as all his certainties were smashed into to tiny little fragments. He tried to listen to the Elf's words over the pounding of this heart.

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_Another short chapter! Yes, it seems those are abundant. I am dead set on updating very soon, though. Perhaps in two days? No! Really! I will. ^_^ _

_Do tell me if it was too awful? I mean I made you all wait five months, was the wait worth it? Please be honest! I can take it! *Puts on rubber suit* =) Seriously though, tell me what needs improvement? I'm feeling a bit rusty over here._

_Next chapter: Legolas has got some explaining to do, though I don't think anyone is going to listen. Aragorn finds an Elf.  And Glorfindel comes across two most disheartening sights. Plus, return of the review thanks and more mindless babbling!_   

_*Insert dramatic music here*          _


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